Lawmakers Resort to Schoolyard Antics

Throwing caution to the wind–not to mention principle and process–several lawmakers have decided that the most effective political tool is sarcasm. A number of female lawmakers around the country have been proposing facetious bills in what is best described as a legislative effort to prove “anything you can do, I can do better:”

Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner is the third female lawmaker to introduce a bill that would limit men’s access to Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs to make a statement about the dozens of anti-abortion bills that have passed statehouses around the country over the last year…Turner’s bill would mandate that men seeking Viagra be “tested for heart problems, receive counseling about possible side effects and receive information about ‘pursuing celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice.'”

Turner said on MSNBC Monday that the bill is about showing “men as much love in the reproductive health arena as they have shown us over the years. My Senate Bill 307 is all about the love and making sure we look out for men’s sexual health.”

The fact that the public trust in their various elected officials and their confidence in the ability of government to be efficient and productive are at startling lows does not seem to bother these lawmakers. When asked why she would waste congressional time by proposing legislation which she herself admits is repugnant simply because other lawmakers are wasting congressional time by proposing legislation she finds repugnant, Turner responded, “Because my mama always taught me that two wrongs do make a right.” Or, at least, what else could she say?